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Monthly Archives: May 2015

THIS skirt is too cool to wear only in the evening!
I picked up this metallic number from H&M when I was travelling last year but I didn’t want to restrict myself to only bringing it out for parties or nights on the town.
I toned it down for daytime wear with this light and relaxed navy blue button down shirt. Having a semi-casual top really calms down the bright silver.

This skirt is just so fun.

I first wore this outfit out and about in Athens in the scorching heat!
(Oh how I wish I could get on a plane and go back.)
I paired this outfit with some of my regular jewellery pieces, most of which were also picked up along my travels.

These are some of my favourite pieces of jewellery.

The silver disc is a replica of the Phaistos Disc, an ancient Greek relic that is surrounded by mystery to this day. (Intriguing!)
I spotted the hand with all-seeing eye bracelet in a gift shop near the black sand beach in Santorini and the square spiral ring in a jewellery store in Fira town, also on Santorini. (As you may have seen in previous outfit posts, I loved this symbol and the notions behind it – good luck and life moving forward – so much that I got it tattooed on my ankle!

IF THERE is a shampoo with more hype around it than Big, I haven’t heard of it!

Little container, big hype.

I finally got my hands in this sea salt shampoo, which promises to give hair a lot of lift and volume and make it “easy to get a comb through”.
It also has seaweed, coconut to make hair soft and fresh lemons and limes for shine.
Having thin hair, I really, really wanted this to work.
Unfortunately, my hair did not want to play the game.

Lush Big sea salt shampoo.

My usually tangle-free locks became a massive mess after I washed it with Big, so much so that I could barely comb it, even when wet. I was worried I’d pull out all of my hair before I got out all of the knots!
I tried this twice, once when I let my hair dry naturally, (which usually results in lovely curls) and once when I blow-dried and straightened it.
On both occasions I didn’t notice a difference in volume once my hair was dry.
After blow-drying it was just as fluffy as it always is and when I let it dry naturally I ended up with LESS curls than I usually do!
Sure, I got some loose, beachy waves but nothing like the tighter coils I usually get.

Hair after using Lush Big and air-drying and how it usually dries.

(The photo on the right is from this post about flower crowns!
While I didn’t get the results I wanted, there are some things I really like about this product.
It smells completely divine, it is made up of natural, vegan and cruelty free ingredients and the pot is made of recycled plastic.

I love Lush’s use of natural and sustainable ingredients.

It smells divine!

I’ve heard other people really love it so I’d say it’s worth a try!
Pick it up here.

IT’S been a big six months!
When I first started this little spot on the internet, I had no idea how much I would love it.
While I put off starting this for months longer than I should have, I was really glad when I finally did.
It’s been a massive learning curve though! Here are some of the things I picked up on during the past six months.

It’s been a whirlwind ride!

Everything takes time:
From brainstorming ideas to writing posts, taking photos and putting posts together, blogging is a time-consuming process.
That doesn’t even take into account all the time you’ll spend on your blog’s Twitter, Instagram, Bloglovin and Pinterest pages to promote your blog!
This is something I really didn’t expect when I started this blog. It’s a labour of love but it takes a while to put everything together!

You have to be organised:
It just won’t work if you aren’t.
I have to fit in a full-time job, about two and a half hours per day commuting, seeing friends and sleep. It can be done but it isn’t easy.
When I started writing this post I was on a plane, watching Captain America – you just learn to fit in blog activities with your schedule.
For example, I get my lovely family and friends to take outfit photos before events and I’ll take a range of photos in advance so they’re ready to use whenever I need them.

Other people are so inspiring:
There are so many people out there creating amazing content.
Whether they’ve been blogging for a few years or a few months, there are a lot of really cool people on the Internet!
Twitter and Bloglovin are the ways I use most to find new blogs. (Check out my Twitter feed here, I’m always retweeting awesome content from wicked bloggers I find!)

Don’t expect people to interact with your blog if you don’t do it with anyone else’s:
Your blog doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
Unfortunately there are people out there that think just promoting their own content is enough – but interacting with others is an awesome part of the blogger community!
The best way to do this is read, read and read some more! And if you like what you’ve read, let the author know!
Joining a Twitter chat is also a great way to meet new people and bounce ideas off each other. Check out these great list of blog chats I found here and here– so useful!)
We’re all in this together!

Sponsored posts are a very fine line to tread:
While there are bloggers out there who can pull of doing a sponsored post (they’ve usually been doing it for a while and have a great reputation), it’s not for everyone.
I find it frustrating that so many new bloggers say yes to everything that gets sent to them.
Most of the time I have no idea if that’s what they actually think about a product or it’s what they want the company to read.
Building up a strong reputation first is important so people know they can trust you.

Some days you just don’t be feeling it:
Blog burnout is real.
There are times where you won’t want to even look at your computer screen, let alone create and promote posts. I went through a really stressful time last month (which helped me create this post about awesome ways to tackle stress)
On days like this, it’s OKAY to take a break, switch off for a day and do something you enjoy.
You’ll feel better in the long run and come back refreshed.

Have fun and do it because you love it:
There are a lot of people who give blogging a go and just don’t love it as much as others.
But for those who stick around, it’s because they absolutely love what they do.
It’s your little space on the Internet, do with it what you will!

I’m looking forward to another big six months!
I can’t thank you enough for reading this blog, whether you’ve been around from the start or whether this is your first visit.
Without you, this would be much more like shouting into the void and I love sharing my life and experiences in this way.

Do you have a blog? What have you learned? (Also, make sure to post a link to your blog so I can check it out!)

OH HOW I love tea!
I’ve never been a coffee drinker and while until recently my morning beverage of choice was a Red Bull, I’ve always enjoyed a cuppa throughout the day, especially in the cooler weather.
But as I’ve been making the switch to finally having less caffeine (like I’ve been saying I would for years), tea has become an even better friend so I wanted to share my favourite brews with you.

This English breakfast-type tea is my favourite to have with milk. It’s got hints of vanilla which gives it a really sweet taste. Predictably, it’s much better than T2’s Perth Breakfast, which is more like an earl grey. Perfect with morning or afternoon tea or after dinner if you’re not up to dessert. At the moment I’m using loose leaves with a T2 mesh ball.

This caffeine-free herbal tea has been a massive lifesaver in recent times. I found it in a health food store while I was looking for something to help me de-stress! (For other excellent ways to calm down when things get rough, check out this other post I wrote.)

The tea has passion flower, strawberry leaf, valerian and, my personal favourite, catnip. I know valerian root tablets work for me when I’m having trouble sleeping so I think that’s the ingredient that has the biggest impact for me, but not so much that it makes me drowsy at work. I’d definitely recommend this one!

Lately I’ve been turning to peppermint tea after big meals as it’s supposed to help with digestion. This light Twinings blend also leaves me with a tingly mouth and fresh breath, bonus! No milk needed for this one.

I picked up this tea when I was searching for something to help out with my skin, which was completely breaking out! I’m not sure of how much a difference this one makes but it’s worth a try if you’re searching for another way to help your skin. It has liquorice root, sage leaf, nettle leaf, chamomile flowers and lemongrass.

And with all this tea, you’re going to need some cute things to drink it out of!
This lovely Kikki K set was a birthday gift from two even lovelier friends of mine, Helen and Kerrie. (But you can get a similar set of your own hereand here!)